West Ventura County Focus

OXNARD : District to Offer Contract Proposal

The Oxnard Union High School District will make its first contract proposal today to the Oxnard Federation of Teachers, offering to continue the current agreement, which expired June 30.

"It's hard to say how the negotiations will go until we sit down with them," said Mike Terman, executive secretary of the 550-member teachers' union. "But we have a pretty good working relationship with the district."

The proposal will be made at the regular bimonthly meeting of the board of education at 7 p.m. at 309 South K St.

The opening round of negotiations is set for Sept. 28, Terman said.

Union members now get 67% of the revenue the district receives from the state, an increase from 66% three years ago.

"We've always felt we had a real good contract," Terman said. "Wo do need to work things out, like working conditions and teacher-empowerment issues."

A potential stumbling block in the talks is the fate of the proposed statewide voucher initiative on the Nov. 2 ballot. If passed, the initiative would allow parents to use taxpayer money to send their children to private schools, taking state money away from public schools.

"The initiative could change the whole playing field," Terman said. "We're not even going to address money until after the elections."